Here Lie the Bodies A Look at Vermont’s Cemeteries and their Place in the Landscape.

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Presentation on theme: "Here Lie the Bodies A Look at Vermont’s Cemeteries and their Place in the Landscape."— Presentation transcript:

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Here Lie the Bodies A Look at Vermont’s Cemeteries and their Place in the Landscape

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“Quick! Touch the ceiling! Get your feet off the floor! Hold your breath... We’re coming to the cemetery!” LS07562 The Western Approach to Bristol, VT, undated. Bristol has 6 known cemeteries.

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Cemeteries make many people uncomfortable, even spooked. But be brave  have a look! Cemeteries dot our Vermont landscape; they are all around us. You can even spot them from the air. LS04596 Rt. 2 East Montpelier, along the Winooski River, April The Plainmont Cemetery is one of 21 known cemeteries in Montpelier. It has 700 graves, with the first burial in Close to the Plainfield town border, it is owned & maintained by Plainfield.

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Look for cemeteries next to old churches and meeting houses... LS06344 Rockingham Meeting House, Rockingham, VT, taken after First burial in 1780, about 1200 graves. Rockingham has 13 known cemeteries.

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around our cities and towns... LS07482 Stafford, VT October Strafford has 16 known cemeteries. Cemeteries were often set on hills to protect from flooding, and often had commanding views of the town.

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and along country roads. LS07310 Caption reads "Looking up Camden valley from Moraview (?) cemetery... Sandgate, VT, taken before 1942.” This is probably the West End – Camdon Valley Cemetery, with 400 gravesites; burials from Sandgate has 6 known cemeteries. Sometimes cemeteries were built on fertile ground, sometimes not.

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Some cemeteries, way up in the hills, or back in the woods, have been forgotten; now overgrown and hidden. But you might spot them if you notice these tell-tale clues: old stone, wood or metal gates and fences; depressions in the ground from sunken graves; escaping Lily of the Valley, or Myrtle: flowers that were often planted on graves; Cedar trees among hardwoods: Cedars were often planted at each side of the entrance, or around the perimeter. Called the “tree of life”, they were planted to symbolize everlasting life after death. West Wheelock Cemetery, Wheelock, VT, July There are 145 gravesites in this abandoned cemetery, on an abandoned road, almost half without gravestones. Used from about The town has recently pledged to keep it mowed. Wheelock has 9 known cemeteries. (photo: JA)

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The earliest humans to be buried in Vermont were Native Americans: Archaic, Abenaki and Woodland peoples. Their graves were not marked with gravestones, so they are harder to find than the cemeteries we’ve been looking at. Archeologists and construction crews have found these burial grounds in Vermont, sometimes on purpose and sometimes by accident. LS01705 Jordan’s Bay, Isle La Motte, VT, undated. Isle La Motte was the site of one Archaic burial ground.

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During Colonial times, the early settlers usually buried their dead near their homes, in a family burial plot. They marked the grave with materials handy in their landscape: wood, a boulder, or fieldstone. They might have chiseled in the initials or name of the deceased. Often each grave had a headstone and a footstone. Sometimes the grave had no liner, and so it sunk into the ground over time, leaving a depression. LS00631 Babcock Family hill farm, Greensboro, undated. The area is now forested, and all but the foundations gone.

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As settlements grew, graveyards near churches and in towns were built. They were plain and simple, laid out in an east-west direction so the dead could sit up and face the sun on Judgment Day. Sandstone and slate were popular for gravestones; they were softer and easier to carve than boulders, and were found locally. LS00684 Slate Quarry and Mills, Fair Haven, VT. Postcard, mailed 1907

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In cities outside Vermont, the “in” gravestone material changed from slate to white marble during Victorian times (beginning about 1880), and Vermont followed the trend. As luck would have it, there was plenty of marble to be had in Vermont! Railroads made it possible for heavy stone to be easily transported around the state. LS02218 Mt. Aeolus Marble Quarries in East Dorset, VT, 1887.

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Along with the marble Victorian gravestones came a new Victorian way of thinking about death, which was not as grim as in Colonial times. A new concept for graveyards was needed. Instead of the somber, plain burial grounds of the past, new graveyards, called “cemeteries” (meaning “sleeping place” in Greek) began. Cemeteries were designed to sooth and comfort. Besides gravestones there were lawns, benches, pathways, trees, flowering bushes, and sometimes even a pond. This was a place where visitors could sit and reflect, stroll and contemplate, or meet friends and picnic. This “garden” or “rural” cemetery idea inspired the movement to build public parks across the United States. LS03185 Stereoview shows Mary Bracket’s grave in Prospect Hill Cemetery, Brattleboro, VT, undated. One of 14 cemeteries in Brattleboro, Prospect Hill has 3000 graves; first burial in 1788.

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But marble gravestones didn’t hold up very well. They were susceptible to pollution, weathering, lichen and moss. Over time, the marble deteriorated, sometimes crumbling off into “cemetery sugar.” Granite became the stone of choice (and still is). Vermont had tons of granite in its landscape. Barre became “The Granite Capital of the World”. LS02216 Pneumatic Surfacing Machines in Operation, granite cutting shed, Barre, VT, 1920.

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Whichever type of burial ground you visit  family plot, churchyard, graveyard, or cemetery (and many large cemeteries are a combination)  you will notice it is a great home for vegetation and wildlife. You’ll understand why cemeteries got the nickname “a city’s green lungs”: Sometime cemeteries have the largest tree species around, as cemeteries are usually not disturbed by development Sometimes they have unusual species of trees The lush vegetation and the usually quiet surroundings encourage animal visits LS05981 Cemetery Entrance, St. Johnsbury, VT, Right-hand side of a stereoview, undated. St. Johnsbury has 6 known cemeteries, one with over 13,000 graves.

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Where are we headed? Will another idea for cemeteries catch on in Vermont? The newest idea for cemeteries is a “green” cemetery, where bodies are buried, or cremated remains scattered, in a natural wooded area, without embalming or caskets. Graves may be marked with flat markers, but not monuments. Green cemeteries are is less costly, have less impact on the environment, yet still provide a place for loved ones to visit, complete with hiking trails! People who like the idea believe it protects green space, rather than consumes it like the cemeteries we now know. Vermont certainly has plenty of landscape for green cemeteries. What do you think? LS02719 The caption reads, "A funeral procession passes Caspian Lake House and homes enroute to the cemetery - Black and white horses pull the hearse." Greensboro, VT. undated.

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LS00923 Memorial Day, Underhill, VT, Underhill Flats Cemetery; since 1842 over 300 burials; still used today. There are 7 known cemeteries in Underhill. With over 1,900 cemeteries in Vermont, there is bound to be one near you. Some Vermont cemeteries have only one grave; some have thousands. Some towns have more than 20 cemeteries within their town lines; four towns have none: Averill, Ferdinand, Glastonbury and Lewis. Why would that be? There are many things to discover in cemeteries! Besides the different stone material, types plants, animals, designs and landscapes, you can discover what is on the stone itself. Carved into gravestones are artwork, names, dates, facts, sayings, and poems, each giving us clues about the life of the person buried there. Don’t let graveyards give you the goosebumps! Have fun exploring a cemetery!

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Inscription on the gravestone of Wm. F Townsend, Baptist Cemetery, Sheffield, VT : “I came to the place of my birth, And said to the friends of my youth, Where are they? An echo answered Where are they?” LS04876 Three people in cemetery, Northfield, VT, undated. Northfield has 10 known cemeteries. A few parting shots and last words....

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LS07023 North Hero, North Hero has 5 known cemeteries. “I walk over the dead with every step, They seep upward through grasslands and sidewalks, Their gestures grand, their small intentions A part of me...” From “Walking Over the Dead” by CB Follett